This Kiss
by slappywhite
Summary: She really didn’t know what to expect from her brazen move when she approached the older man..." My little follow up to 'A Space Oddity' A little something between Hodges and Wendy


**DISCLAIMER**** : I wish I did, but obviously I don't own CSI nor any of the characters. They all belong to CBS and the CSI franchise, respectfully. Although, I'd snatch up a certain actor in a heartbeat, if I could. But for now, I give you this.**

**A/N - Apologies in advance if you come across any spelling errors or errors regarding grammar. There was no beta used. Written around the 'Space Oddity' episode. I hope you enjoy!**

If there was one word that could sum up the young DNA technicians ability to maneuver throughout her work station, demonstrate her upmost skill in handling and processing evidence on a typical day, one could easily say it to be, 'dexterous'. Her artful performance, thoroughness and expertise in her chosen field of science was second to none. Her outward demeanor simply displayed her confidence and she surely had the intelligence to match. Yet never once was she tempted to travel down the path of flaunting or exploiting her own talents for personal gain and always left room for helpful criticism, rarely needing it from her colleagues.

But something else was occupying her mind today, and it was a distraction she was unable to shake no matter how hard she tried. Something that prevented her from giving her undivided attention to allow her to do what she did best in a job she thoroughly enjoyed. Such unprofessional distractions could often lead to mistakes. Mistakes in this type of profession were far from acceptable, and were usually greeted with reprimand from a higher ranking member within the department. Sure they were done on occasion, for no one is perfect -including the man who worked just across the hall that frequently chose to vocally share his opinion of being the exception to the rule. Even he had a slight blunder in his near perfect, professional record.

Trying to convince Wendy Simms otherwise on this day, would only prove useless and to make matters worse, she sure as hell knew the difference and the consequences involved, but it didn't matter. Her usually steady hands, today, trembled. Her ability to handle and take control within her own lair, of certain objects that were normally second nature to her, suddenly became both a mental and physical challenge, and that was not like her.

It was a simple kiss! Nothing more and nothing less. Butthe memory of the moment replayed over and over in her mind as vivid as the first.

Now, she was no stranger when it came to the sweet taste of a gentleman's lips pressed firmly against hers, and the pleasures she'd receive from the experience when she had the opportunity to indulge. She had kissed a hundred men in her past! Okay, so that was a little exaggerated, but the brunette knew there were a few more men in her past then she could count on two hands. Not saying that she was easy, she was anything but, but having both looks and intelligence, she definitely sparked an interest in the opposite sex and often times it played to her advantage.

She was one who could tell a lot from a single kiss. Analyzing situations, things and people in her life, something that she often did without even realizing, did have it's faults but at the same time, it too had its advantages. But the problem was that this kiss.. well, this kiss was different. This time the kiss sent her world into a tizzy, like a tornado touching down, throwing everything in it's path into a state of disarray. A strange and uncontrollable wave of enigmatic emotion blind sided her the moment she felt his lips respond to hers. And even though her better judgement kicked and screamed for her to pull back, to stop what she had started, these newfound feelings and uncontrollable desire to continue to indulge in the guilty pleasures of this particular kiss, promptly won the mental battle that was raging in her mind. For once, in four years, Wendy allowed herself to be swallowed up by the magic of the moment, allowing her raw lust to dominate her very being.

Could she have been wrong about him all along? Four years of working side by side, night after night seemed more then enough time to form a honest opinion of the very man that now seemed to tug at the heart strings. Four years was more then enough time to decide on whether or not she had feelings for the man suddenly the main focus of her attention.

Sure she had been, once again, infuriated by him and his actions from earlier on, that was nothing new, but it was mere moments after she'd translated what he had said to her back at the convention, that landed her within the confines of the trace lab, a bold and rather uncharacteristic move on her part, to say the least. It was when she found herself within inches of the working man hunched over and face buried down the neck of his microscope, completely oblivious to her presence, did the brunette realize the full effect this man indeed had on her. He'd been the only man to stir up so many mixed emotions within her in the past several years.

Wendy reached out, grabbed the trace tech by the arm, and in one swift motion, turned a dumbfound and speechless David Hodges around to face her. They stared each other down, her brown eyes studied his green as he made every attempt to calculate her next move, beit good or bad.. For once, the moments uncertainty in the usually self-composed man was plain to see, and this uncertainty was just enough for Wendy to seize her opportunity.

Without another thought or care of who could be roaming the hallways of the crime lab in the early hours of the morning or even the fact that Nick, Riley and Ray were just feet down the hall in the break room, the young brunette took hold of the lapels attached to the navy blue lab coat he'd been wearing and pulled him toward her until their lips touched.

She could tell by his initial lack of response, that he wasn't expecting such a bold and unprofessional move on her part. The man was particular in habits and work ethics, and had tried for many years to maintain that certain level of professionalism when it came to his career. And when it came to his profession, this sort of behavior was not even considered an option. On the other hand though, perhaps she had just caught him by surprise and was just to afraid to react in any way, shape or form. After all, he nearly set himself and the lab ablaze over a simple little fantasy...involving her.

When it felt like an eternity of nothing in response, Wendy began to re-evaluate her advancement and attempted to navigate out of the disaster and pure embarrassment she had suddenly created for herself. How was she going to be able to look him seriously in the face after this mess? It was only then did she experience the response she had so desperately been hoping for.

The palms of David's hands had managed to find either side of her neck, his fingertips gravitating toward the nape of her neck as his fingers splayed to take in as much of her smooth skin as they would allow him to. His thumbs found their way up over her defined jaw line, kneading gently at the soft patches of skin near the lobes of her ears.

He withdrew ever so slightly to catch a quick breath before taking control of the situation, narrowing the gap between them once again.

His lips quickly found hers as he went to work, maneuvering them against the watermelon flavored flesh of the DNA tech in a growing state of urgency. He tilted his head slightly to one side as he nipped at her bottom lip, and grazed his tongue along her top lip before requesting entry to explore a little deeper into her mouth.

Wendy found her heart beating a little faster and her knees weaken when he stepped in a little closer to deepen the kiss, letting their tongues intertwine and sway to their own beat. The faint scent of his cologne danced like a wild fire beneath her nose as she let her hands release the material that was in their grasp in favor of resting them against his chest. She really didn't know what to expect from her brazen move when she approached the older man, but she wasn't completely sure if the growing lust toward the man had even been a factor. He was suppose to be the man that annoyed everybody. The cynical and self-absorbed asshole that people went to great lengths to try and avoid whenever possible...the supposed 'brown-noser!'

David Hodges wasn't suppose to be capable of bringing her to a begging 'yes' with just a simple kiss. He wasn't suppose to have the experience that left a woman breathless and craving for more while their heart pounded against their own chest from an overwhelming sensation that was a mixture of excitement and electricity. These were qualities one would often find in someone of Nick's stature. Not a geek ridden, forty something year old man who's idea of a good time was playing and creating board games, who up until mere months ago, still lived with his mother. Someone who repeatedly open his mouth and inserted his own foot in the presence of the young lady, and continuously threatened their budding friendship.

He was by no means, a knight in shining armor, ready to sweep her off her feet, nor did he possess the ability to woo her with smooth, seductive words and subtle advancements. Yet there she was, savoring every morsel of the moment, in hopes that it would never end. That would have meant she'd have to snap back to reality, back to the lab and face the awkwardness that she was sure was waiting the very moment their lips parted.

But the moment came, much to Wendy's disappointment. He pulled back for some much needed air and rested his forehead against hers. His hands still placed comfortably against either side of her jaw, his fingers still entangled in the loose strands of hair that had fallen from her ponytail. She was convinced that he too, didn't want the moment to end.

Wendy took a moment to settle her breathing and to savor the lingering taste of his flesh on hers before opening her eyes to see his already focused in on hers. His face sported that patented grin of his, but instead of the expression infuriating her this time around, Wendy caught a glimpse of the compassion in his eyes... something she rarely saw in the man. And the brunette knew the moment she seen it, she'd find herself helplessly in love with the man.

Wendy chose not to speak, but rather enjoy the time they were sharing with one another. Talking was so overrated at times any ways and could easily ruin a moment. And seeing those moments were rare at this point between the pair, she sure as hell didn't want to ruin it.

What did surprise her though, was the fact that he too said nothing. Something in which he wasn't famous for. Did she actually leave David Hodges speechless? For once? Well that was something new! He usually had something to say about everything no matter what the situation. It was like a small personal feat for her, though it wasn't her intension when she came over to confront the man.

They stood in silence, close to one another, enjoying the unexpected moment and there was nothing awkward about it. For once, they both felt comfortable in each others presence.

That was until the GCMS came to life and it wasn't long after, that the printer along side the machine started spitting out results belonging to the evidence he'd been processing earlier in the morning. And as if on cue, the trace tech withdrew his hands, leaving a burning trail behind as they slid down over the bare flesh of her neck and over her shoulders before retreating altogether.

"I...um..," he hesitated briefly, looking over toward the documents that now sat in the tray of the printer before looking back at her. "I need to...."

"I know!" Wendy felt her heart sink a little even though she understood the situation. They were still at work for crying out loud. They were suppose to have some level of professionalism about them, toward each other, but she did find herself smiling as she watched him reluctantly pull away. She had finally broken through the tough exterior that was made up of sarcasm and cold-heartedness. Something that had taken David Hodges years to build. He was human after all!

She made her way toward the doorway, leaving him to what he did best, but stopped when she'd gotten to the threshold separating his work station from the rest of the lab. Standing back on to the older technician, Wendy placed a hand on the door frame, and took a deep breath giving quick thought to what she was going to say. It was now or never!

"Hodges?" Wendy spoke, breaking the silence that was now between them. She then turned partly around to catch one last glimpse of the man and to see his reaction once she finished what she was going to say.

"Simms!" He simply replied, not even looking up from the results he'd been scanning through. Typical! But a relief at the same time.

"I just wanted to let you know, that I think you're right." She hesitated just long enough for the trace tech to look up and in her direction before continuing. "We _are_ made for each other!"

She seen him lower the results and his jaw drop as a shocked expression engulfed his face. He hadn't thought that she'd go as far as to remember what he'd said to her, let alone, translate to find it's meaning, and Wendy could see it in his reaction. He could be dangerously cute and endearing when he didn't try it.

With that, Wendy tossed him a flirty wink and a smile and made her way back into her own lab to try and finish out the morning shift. Things were suddenly different now and it made her nervous.

_____

the end... for now


End file.
